


Loop Day (AU Teaser)

by dramaticinsanity



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blue Diamond Connie, Communication Issues, Connie Swapped, Genderfluid Character, Implied Amethyst/Peridot (Steven Universe), Implied Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Implied Jasper/Pearl (Steven Universe), Momswap, Multi, PTSD, Partial Absence of Limbs, Past Pearl/Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe), Psychosomatic pain, Relationship status: complicated, Scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22963120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dramaticinsanity/pseuds/dramaticinsanity
Summary: She can hold time in a bottle, but she must pour it out. The water drains away, forgotten, by a mind unable to contain illusion.
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran & Steven Universe
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	Loop Day (AU Teaser)

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: This marked as published on the first of March? Where I am, it is quite far from being the first. WHY is not synced to MY timezone?? I know this is a stupid thing to be salty about, but I'm salty. Official publication date is February 29th, 2020 at roughly 7:30 pm EST.
> 
> Just an experiment. As such, it will be a standalone indefinitely unless I feel I have a concrete enough story to continue - or even unless I finish it. Dives headlong into an alternate universe I’m working on, so some things might not be clear. This is not meant to be a “first episode” as it were, rather more resembling a “lost episode” or “unaired pilot”. I don’t know if I’ll finish it, but I'm putting this up for now. 
> 
> I didn't officially tag the romantic pairings because nothing blatantly romantic goes on - there's no currently established relationships. However, there are certainly feelings that aren't spoken aloud, and if I did the full AU it would go in those directions. I'm loosely considering eventual polyamory (gems only), but it's not set in stone yet.

Connie can only sit back and watch as the chaos unfolds, as the gems are making _her_ birthday about themselves. There’s Jasper, tackling the proceedings like bootcamp in towering glory. Her long hair, barely contained by a clip, flutters behind her in the mild breeze. Centipeetle, formerly mom's loyal and diminutive monster companion, sticks like a shadow to her feet. 

“Fold the napkins like so,” Pearl tells Jasper, then demonstrating. She shows off her amazing skills at origami to no one in particular. “Er, just the first few steps are fine.”

“What’s the point? Humans are going to use them, as they seem prone to wearing food as much as eating it.”

Pearl reaches to rub her thumb into her left shoulder, a habit when someone is getting on her last nerve. “The point is etiquette. We’re a foreign species, not wild animals.”

Pearl is a master of organization, and in a world that made sense she and Jasper would be a well oiled machine. However, the two seem to find conflict over the smallest of matters. Pearl’s soldierly appearance matches her attitude. 

“So if your birthday is on the 29th does that mean you only celebrate every four years? Do you age slower?!”

Connie suppresses the urge to roll her eyes. Usually Steven is endearing but under the circumstances, the silliness is a bit unbearable. It isn't his fault though. Gently she answers, “No, of course not. According to Peridot, the extra day is a culmination of four years' worth of quarter days which is the total journey of the Earth around the sun. When it isn't there, we just acknowledge it on the first of March. I still age, time is an illusion.”

Steven giggles. “I guess. Considering gems' bodies are projections of light, they would know about illusions.”

Ahead of them, Pearl grabs Jasper's hands. “You're doing it wrong.”

“You're always disagreeing with me! It’s like I can’t do anything right.” Jasper yanks her hands away and continues, only to have Pearl whisk the table covering and decorations out of her reach. Connie sinks into a chair. She's glad only a few people from the boardwalk will be invited to this, and most of them are more Steven's acquaintances than hers. 

While Peridot and Jasper tend to bicker like dysfunctional siblings, these two are like an old married couple. She thought the former was bad, until Pearl came into the picture - rather _back_ into it - and threw the dynamics further into the whirlpool.

“You're never willing to compromise!”

“Me? You're the one with the rigid ideals.”

“Maybe you should have a stronger moral compass.”

Jasper snarls and flips an entire table. Connie has to pull Steven out of the warpath. 

“Watch it!”

“You two need to settle down. Fragile humans are present,” Peridot reprimands. It seems to fall unheard.

Despite her stilt shoes, Jasper and Pearl make her look puny. She has an elegant look that possesses the feel of a desperate desire for respect. Every part of her form seems to droop when it’s apparent she’s little more than a buzzing bee to the taller, miffed gems. 

“You're just not malleable. A cold stone,” Jasper barks. 

Pearl gasps. Peridot frowns and drags two metallic pseudo fingers over her face. Pearl turns on her heel and stalks to the end of the beach. Jasper faces away from everyone with her arms crossed, a common position for her.

Meanwhile, Doug is chastening Amethyst, “That is not food for you, put that down!”

“You're not the boss of me. But you're right, the food is lame.”

“I cooked most of this!”

“Exactly!”

Connie didn't know her dad's face could take on such a significant auburn shade. He throws his hands up in the air, proceeds to gather all of the dishes, and he shoves them into his nearby van. Amethyst walks over to Connie, casually slouched as though the worries of the world pass through her like wind through a ghost.

“What's that fuddy-duddy's problem anyway?”

Connie frowns. “That's my dad, and he's trying to make this a good day for me.”

“Wow, okay.” Amethyst picks at her tooth. “He wasn't around much when you were a baby, we did all the work. He didn't even help with corrupted dudes, just followed us around taking pictures.”

Connie growls, in slight imitation of Jasper not entirely intentional. Steven glances between them, radiating awkwardness. He flips out his palms and slowly walks backwards. He scurries past them to help Peridot, though she has paused in her ministrations. A green rod leaves her hair to hover in front of Amethyst's nose like a raised index finger.

“Actually, he wasn't around because we insisted on taking over, enforcing a strict regimen that in retrospect, put a lot of stress on the senior Maheswaran. In addition, a feeble human cannot assist us.”

“Yo, no one asked you,” Amethyst protests. She appears sheepish for a moment, but it's gone in a flash. She seems to pointedly not look at Peridot’s hurt expression.

Steven tenses, his face flushing now too. “Hey, I’ve _assisted_ Connie!”

“I would suggest avoiding intense situations in the future,” Peridot adds. “Especially with your plethora of deteriorating medical conditions.”

Steven winces, bluntly reminded of his ticking clock. That’s the final straw, and Connie is overcome with frustration. She doesn’t understand how beings dedicated to the well-being of Earth and its inhabitants can be this callous. 

“Ugh!” Connie bangs her fists on the table, causing Peridot, Steven, and Amethyst to jump, and Jasper turns around. Pearl, who is returning, stops in her tracks. “Why are you all so rude and inconsiderate? Didn't you say you're like, thousands of years old? HOW ARE YOU SO SELFISH!”

Tears begin to run down her cheeks. Her gem glows, bathing the immediate area in light. Oddly, Peridot and Pearl flinch as though expecting some kind of blow. Jasper drops to one knee in what seems to be intended as a respectfully submissive position. Amethyst rubs her own cheeks, then stares at her palms in confusion. Connie doesn't care about their strange actions. She knows they're aliens, but her family shouldn't feel so distant. 

“Do I even matter?” Connie rants, “I bet you didn't act like this with mom! I wish she was here to tell you all to stop being foolish but.. she's. gone. You're stuck with me, get used to it. I wish I knew how to make it better, why don't you just... go back to the way it was before!”

The glow of her gem grows and grows, into an aura of blue carrying over the beach. She notices her dad's van has vanished, Connie guesses he couldn't take it anymore. She isn't even enough for him to stay and put up with the gems' bad behavior. She drops to her knees, sobbing hard.

Sniffling, she realizes there's an eerie silence. Steven blinks at her. “What am I doing here? Uh... I have to go.”

Then, she's left alone with _them_. They've chased away her dad and her only human friends. She stands and dusts off the stand. This can still be salvaged if everyone calms down and finishes the set up. She looks up and promptly staggers backward at the sight that greets her. Jasper is on a rampage, destroying everything in her path. Pearl is attempting to clean up the wreck as soon as it happens, but she's silent. She doesn't scold Jasper or give any scathing remarks. Her expression is blank. Amethyst laughs, eating random objects, spin dashing in circles, and she knocks down Pearl whenever she happens to be in the way.

“If Blue Agate isn't around why don't I just do what I want?” Amethyst laughs, shredding napkins and tossing the pieces in the air like confetti. “Who cares! No more patrols, no more scouting, no more stupid drills and stupid emotion control!”

Peridot has just shrunk away from it all, her form quivering. “I'm not built to be out here! What if a corrupted gem shows up at any moment? I need to be at my database!”

“Screw your database!”

“Amethyst…”

Amethyst scoops her up and actually tosses her in the air, guffawing. Peridot shrieks. Amethyst catches her easily. Nearby, Pearl has stacked various objects in a strange yet symmetrical tower. Jasper has run out of steam. She's pounding the sand and yelling in another language. She may be tough as nails, but Connie hasn’t seen her utterly implacable. Connie is boggled. The most jarring thing of all - their outfits have changed while she wasn't looking. The styles are somewhat reminiscent of a bygone era or rather the attempt by alien beings at fitting in during that. It takes her a moment to process the fact that Peridot's limbs end just past the elbows. Her short flight via Amethyst causes obviously prosthetic legs to be somewhat visible. How on Earth had she never noticed? In her previous outfit, she supposes the sleeves of her top and length of her pants gave the illusion that her limbs were just really short and not missing anything. In retrospect, she's only ever seen Peridot work with the green rods and never directly with her hands. Connie guesses that’s the reason she hasn’t bothered with a second set of prostheses for those.

Amethyst has placed her piggyback, and she's running from Pearl after messing up her... sculpture? Connie isn't sure what she was trying to accomplish. Amethyst isn't that much different, but her sporty look changed to what that seems more orderly and serious. It doesn't match her tone at all. With a jolt, Connie realizes how much she must've been suppressing her zest all along. Amethyst has a wild side that she often visibly contains, but Connie didn’t think she could get this disorderly. Why are they all suddenly acting out now - because Connie yelled at them? It doesn't make sense. Only Centi seems unaffected, her head buried in a wayward bag of chips.

Pearl stops chasing Amethyst to pursue Jasper, who is stomping toward the ocean. “I'll find it! I'll find her secret base if it's the last thing I do! I know you're hiding something Blue…”

“Oh dear... Jasper please…” Pearl holds onto her arm and digs in her heels. 

Her behavior is definitely different. She's more quiet, focused, and restrained, compared to the solemn yet openly emotional gem that she's come to know. However, she's also more proactive, taking matters into her hands without getting into a philosophical dead end argument. There's translucent fabric over her single strap leotard, exposing her shoulders. Connie narrows her eyes, trying to figure out if the markings lacing her chest and left shoulder are scars or tattoos. The pattern is similar to that of Jasper's scars on her left eye, though she doesn't know if there's a connection. Connie addresses each gem, attempting to knock sense in them. It becomes apparent they aren't going to listen to her at all, even more wrapped up in themselves than before. She groans. There's a bright flash of light, sending panic into Connie. Is it going to get even worse? Her eyes pop out of her head when she sees a new gem almost Jasper’s height. She slowly takes in the appearance - it's Jade! Her outfit is different and her eyes obscured by a dark pair of weird glasses, but Connie has briefly seen her in the past. She's never held a lengthy conversation with the gem or discovered why she's never around.

This is the first time Connie has seen a gem on her - a green and lavender round, faceted gemstone on her chest that is just like Amethyst's except for the coloring. With Amethyst's gem and the disappearance of Peridot, the conclusion is obvious - Jade is and has always been a fusion of the two. Connie feels like an idiot, considering that Amethyst and Peridot never "happened" to be around when Jade appeared. As Jade trounces off to parts unknown, and Pearl crouches in the sand next to Jasper apparently trying to comfort her, Connie leaves the mess to seek out some rational humans - her dad or Steven. She needs Steven's perspective, and her dad's knowledge of the gems' past. Hopefully he'll know they are acting like this. It's as though they've reverted to some state of which Connie was previously unaware.

Surely this isn't what they were like before she was born? They've gotten worse since her mom passed on her gem to Connie, right? That is looking less likely. She recalls a conversation Peridot and Jasper had shortly after Connie came to live with them and Amethyst. It's hazy, but she can call to mind Jasper mentioning how Peridot became obsessed with some fruitless project because Blue wasn't around to regulate her mental state. Could they have really been this bad and her mom was just... controlling them? Connie shook her head as she reached the enormous crater beyond the beach, where tourists usually milled about. No, the idea is repugnant. Her dad often referred to the gems as Blue's friends. Connie can't believe she'd - she'd - inhibit them or something instead of actively dealing with the issues. Her mind is just trying to make sense of it all and has gone off the rails with everything else. For a place that's usually bustling especially midday, it's quiet. She strains, and she can't hear the sounds of gulls or barking dogs. She yelps when a form moves past her - like a glitch in a video game. It hops from one place to another with traversing the space in between. As she walks further, this continues to happen more and more. Connie focuses on the distorted shapes, and they seem to be people. 

“What is going on?” Gem stuff can be pretty mysterious, but this is too uncanny. This can't be real. Pearl can make holograms, maybe she somehow broke reality. She cups her hands over her mouth and shouts, “Dad? Steven? Please come back, the gems aren't that bad when you get to know them!”

She reaches Funland, where the people and rides remain distorted and glitchy. She collapses near the arcade. She wraps her arms around her knees. She doesn't know whether to scream or sob or laugh. This has to be some kind of sick joke. There's a flash of pink that feels familiar... Steven. She reaches for him, intending to grab his arm. She finally screams when it causes her hand to momentarily distort like everything else. She cradles her hand to her body, but it seems unharmed. She closes her eyes, a tear slipping free of one. The constant blue aura around her - which she had barely noticed with everything else going on - pulses.

“Connie? Connie! Are you alright, are you hurt?”

He begins examining her arm. She stares at him, gobsmacked. Then, she tightly embraces him. “OH Steven!”

“Who?” Her friend grins at her shocked expression. “Sorry. Back to Stevie, she and her. It's rare that I switch in one day, but sometimes I'm just not vibing.”

Connie nods, fairly accustomed to Stevie's fluid identity at this point. It's been months since they became friends. Connie croaks, “Everything has gone haywire! The gems are acting up more than usual, they're - they've completely stopped making any sense! I don't know where my dad went! This is the worst birthday ever, and it's all my fault.”

“Whoa, whoa!” Stevie shakes Connie's shoulders. She says, “How is it your fault? The gems are the ones constantly fighting and throwing tantrums. You had the right to be upset and stand up to them, if that’s what you’re worried about, you know.”

“I - they usually figure it out eventually. But I called them out and they reverted or something. I think maybe they were really messed up when mom was still here and she kept them sedated or something. I can't - I can't fix them.”

“You don't fix people Connie. People are messy, diverse, and complicated. You can help them if they want to be helped, but you can't change who they are.”

“Can't change who they are…” 

Steve is right, wise as usual for only being roughly two years older than Connie. She pulls out of the embrace and curls her hands into fists. Though conflicted emotions slosh in her mind, it’s apparent with clarity that it means without Blue’s guidance they’ve made some effort to improve for Connie’s sake. She’ll cut them some slack when this is resolved. 

“Let's find Jade and get them all together to sort this out.”

“Jade?”

Connie sighs. “Best bet is the amphitheater, since Jade probably loves music and science. I'll explain on the way.”

Stevie seems completely awed and stricken by the revelation, which makes Connie feel a little better about somehow missing the signs. Ultimately, they managed to find Jade who seems torn between rocking out on the instruments or tweaking the set up for the next show. People continue to glitch around them, but Jade doesn't seem to care or notice - probably a combination of Amethyst's devil-may-care attitude and Peridot's hyperfixation tendencies. 

“Uh Jade… they're having an all you can eat hot dog contest at the beach!”

Best to play to Amethyst's appetite and Peridot's equally strong hunger for proving her superiority in competition. It occurs to Connie that despite knowing the gems for merely thirteen years, she knows them well. A dark part of her mind wonders how long her mom knew the gems, if she used her knowledge to influence and manipulate them. Now isn't the time for such morally fraught introspection. Jade initially makes disappointed noises when there's no hot dogs, but she goes with the flow. She grabs Pearl and hoists her over one shoulder. Jasper has to stop her from launching Pearl into the ocean like a missile. Unfortunately, it dissolves into Jasper demanding Jade to unfuse. This turns into a wrestling match. Connie concentrates on the blue glow around them, and it recedes a bit. She calls their name as their eyes start to look less glazed. Jasper glares at her, Pearl doesn't quite meet her gaze, and Jade flops down on the beach, arm over her visor. Pearl strokes Jasper’s hair in a soothing manner, only to be pushed away.

“What about your pretty little Lapis? Wouldn’t you rather be with her?”

Pearl strokes her own shoulder. “I - I told you she left.”

“As if I can trust _your_ word.”

Pearl’s head dropped, and her cheeks flushed. It seemed more with embarrassment than anger. Connie rubs her temples. In her peripheral vision, she sees her dad's van glitch back onto the beach. Stevie briefly squeezes her hand, the comforting action warming her. She takes a deep breath and the turmoil in her mind settles like the sea after a ferocious storm. The aura dissipates. The gems are bathed in personal light, and what further damage the gems did in their compromised states vanishes as though it didn’t happen. Her vision whites out as a profound sense of exhaustion slams into her with the force of a speeding train.

//

Connie yawns and rubs one eye. She glances at the calendar and does a double take. March first? She could've sworn it was a leap year. She remembers looking forward to her birthday the day prior, the 29th of February. Also, her head aches something fierce. She hears warbled voices.

“It was strange, but I'm telling you it was the Loop song.”

“She wasn't singing before our memory blanks. Blue always broke the loops and we’d remember… maybe she reset it? I don’t think Blue could do that.”

“Perhaps, because of Connie's organic properties, her power array is malfunctioning - that or it's simply given to work differently. After all, I doubt Connie could sustain notes like Blue. She has to breathe to live.”

“Yeah, and her crying has never made us cry like Blue did.”

Connie tilts her head. She decides to be glad for that - she would feel bad if every time she was upset everyone around her would be forced into a similar state. It doesn't seem nice. She climbs down the latter. Apparently sensing her approach, the gems all freeze and fall silent. It’s unsettling to see them… afraid of her? She had been under the impression her mom was benevolent, perhaps she had a scary side.

“Uh, Happy birthday kiddo,” Amethyst manages. 

Peridot chimes in, “Yes congratulations on surviving approximately thirteen solar orbits, little daisy! Who’d’ve thought!”

Amethyst elbows her hard. Peridot pulls on her hair. Jasper deliberately steps in between them with a hard glare to each.

Jasper asks, “How do you feel?”

“Funny. I could've sworn today would be February 29th…” Connie checks the calendar on her phone, and yep, there it is. She's perplexed and doesn't know what to do with the mismatched information. “But I don't remember it happening?”

Peridot cups her chin, appearing thoughtful. Amethyst's eyes are wide. 

Jasper says, “We were getting ready for the party when you... fell and hit your head. You slept until now.”

“But er... how did I fall?”

Three voices chime vastly different answers, from Peridot, Amethyst, and Jasper respectively.

“Stevie thought you couldn't scale the cliff so you decided to prove her wrong!”

“Slipped on a banana peel.”

“We were attacked by a corrupted gem. You grabbed a pair of scissors and managed to get on its back to blind it, only to discover it didn't have eyes. You jumped off onto a boulder and slipped.”

There's a shadow in the doorway. Pearl’s voice smoothly slides over them adding, “All of the above occurred. However, the actual cause was when you tried to stand, and an irate seagull slammed into you.”

“Yeah... the seagulls really hate you after what you did when -”

“I know you're all lying,” Connie deadpans. “But I have a very strong feeling I'm better off not having any memory of that day. So I'll let it slide for now, but next time, just tell me the truth!”

With that, Connie climbs back into bed. Centi chirps and curls up beside her. She buries her face in Centi's mane. The tiredness in her bones tells her she deserves the rest. She hopes it will get rid of the bizarre suspicion that the gems are hiding significant things from her. Must've been leftovers from vivid dreams induced by whatever actually happened.

**Author's Note:**

> Current Forms (with bonus steeb):
> 
> Reverted Forms:
> 
> In case anyone is curious - Era 2 gems are different in this AU, considered "undercooked" due to a purposely expedited process resulting in them being short of stature, lacking in strength, and often missing limbs. They did not, however, have a shortage of resources.


End file.
